'Finding Nemo' in 3-D will make a big splash at the box office

A 3-D version of "Finding Nemo" is expected to top the box office this weekend.

Walt Disney Studios

A scene from 2003's "Finding Nemo," which is being re-released in 3-D this weekend.

A scene from 2003's "Finding Nemo," which is being re-released in 3-D this weekend. (Walt Disney Studios)

Amy Kaufman

“Finding Nemo’s” 3-D re-release should go swimmingly at the box office this weekend, as the animated film is expected to debut at No. 1.

The reformatted version of the kids' flick will likely open with around $30 million in ticket sales, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys. The other new film hitting theaters this weekend, “Resident Evil: Retribution,” should also see healthy ticket sales, with a projected start of roughly $27 million.

Walt Disney Studios decided to pull a handful of its most popular animated titles out of the vault for 3-D re-releases a month after “The Lion King 3-D” scored at the box office. The reissue of the jungle book tale grossed a surprisingly strong $94.2 million last September, prompting the studio to announce 3-D re-releases of “Beauty and the Beast,” “Finding Nemo,” “Monsters Inc.” and “The Little Mermaid.”

The 3-D reissue of “Beauty and the Beast” didn’t fare nearly as well at the multiplex as “The Lion King,” grossing $47.6 million. Disney expects “Nemo” will ultimately sell more tickets than “Beast," but fewer than “King.” The studio said it spent under $5 million to convert “Nemo” to 3-D, meaning it should be a financial winner for Disney.

When it was first released nine years ago, Pixar Animation’s “Finding Nemo” debuted to glowing critical reviews and won the Oscar for best animated feature. The movie, about a clownfish searching for his kidnapped son Nemo, was a worldwide phenomenon, selling $867 million worth of tickets.

Other studios have seen mixed box office results re-releasing their most popular titles in 3-D. When 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures distributed “Titanic 3-D” in April, the movie did massive global business, raking in nearly $350 million worldwide. In May, however, Fox’s updated version of “Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace,” grossed a less successful $43.5 million in the U.S. and Canada.

“Resident Evil: Retribution” is the fifth film in the science fiction thriller franchise, which originated in 2002 and stars Milla Jovovich. The movie, whose origins date back to a popular video game, cost Sony Pictures about $65 million after tax rebates.

Each movie in the “Resident Evil” series has grossed more than its predecessor in North America, with 2010’s “Afterlife” finishing with $60.1 million domestically. However, the “Resident Evil” films now do most of their business overseas. The 2010 installment, released in 3-D, took in $236.1 million internationally -- about 80% of its worldwide gross. “Retribution” is already faring well abroad, having collected $1.4 million since Wednesday from five foreign markets including Indonesia and Taiwan. This weekend, the movie will play in 50 countries, with the biggest ticket sales expected to come from locations South Korea, Australia and Russia.

In limited release, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” will debut in five theaters -- three in New York, and two in Los Angeles. The Weinstein Co. film, which stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as an L. Ron Hubbard-esque cult leader, has generated awards buzz on the film festival circuit in recent months.